I am upset that Amazon Smile has been shut down?

[Middleman]

So I recently learnt that Amazon Smile has been shut down since early this year.

I am very concerned about this, because I had used it before primarily to support small to medium charities (who themselves were understaffed), were providing crucial material and mental support for the homeless. With Amazon Smile, using the money I spent or goods bought, some of it from my purchase would go to my designated charity, who in turn would get an extra income of sorts. Without the strength and breadth of Amazon's vast service network, these small charities would simply struggle or go under and the folks who they support also suffer from not getting their required support. Hence I am aghast at their decision to shut it down - how on earth is that even possible?

Whilst the extra $5 or $20 saving may not seem much to you, it means a LOT to the next person who is struggling on the sidewalk to get a clean wash or even get just a simple meal, and more so if they have pets/children/illnesses to handle and look after. So I am completely baffled why they chose to remove such an important service.

Are you upset about the way Amazon has handled this situation? Have you used Smile before and do you think it should be reinstated?

[Oliverlogan263]

Man, that totally stinks about Amazon Smile shutting down. I used to use it all the time to support animal shelters near me. It was such an easy way to donate without really spending any extra money. Just by doing my regular shopping on Amazon, a bit would go to help dogs and cats find homes. I can't believe they just got rid of it like that with no warning. It really helped those small shelters stretch their donations further. Now they'll be struggling even more.

And you're right, while it may not seem like much to Amazon, those few extra dollars here and there meant everything to places trying to help people out. Every little bit counts when you're living on the streets or in a shelter. I can't think of a good reason why Amazon would shut down something so helpful. It's not like it cost them anything extra to run the program. They shouldn't be able to just cancel something without thinking about how it affects others. I'm definitely bummed about it. Those charities deserved better than this. I hope Amazon reconsiders and brings it back, but who knows if they will. Really inconsiderate move if you ask me.

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

Lmao you think that money goes directly into the hands of the people in need? Maybe if it was a food pantry but donations from bigger companies like amazon who make those purchases don’t end up going directly into care, more often it goes into paychecks of the fulltime high administrative employees before it goes anywhere near your local spots. They usually have a set list of big name charities to choose from, charities that usually have more than a few issues with their operating directives on actually helping people. It’s basically just a corporate version of giving tax breaks to other corporate entities. I imagine amazon never cared that much to begin with, they just wanted the taxes off of your donation.

[Anonymous]

I guarantee not much of that Amazon Smile money made it to the charities, and if it did, it didn't get past the pockets of person in charge. That's probably why it was shut down, in some kind of back-room settlement.

[butterly248]

What's that? I'm more bothered about The Grand Tour ending 😭